Why this fire-eating Broadway star loves being back in Dallas

Why this fire-eating Broadway star loves being back in Dallas

Brian Gonzales as Francis in One Man, Two Guvnors.
Photo by Karen Almond

Brian Gonzales.
Photo courtesy of WaterTower Theatre

Gonzales, David Coffee, and the cast of 1776 at Lyric Stage.
Photo by Steve Riley

Back in 2012, the UK's National Theatre brought to Broadway a groovy update of the commedia dell'arte play The Servant of Two Masters. Called One Man, Two Guvnors, the laugh-out-loud comedy starred a then-little-known actor named James Corden. Understudying Corden was an actor from Dallas: Brian Gonzales.

In the years since, Corden has gone on to late-night hosting fame and Gonzales has continued his Broadway streak, currently appearing in Disney's Aladdin. But now Gonzales is taking a short break from the Great White Way to return to his hometown. He's starring in WaterTower Theatre's regional premiere of One Man, Two Guvnors, along with his wife, Ashley Puckett Gonzales.

Before the show opens on August 8 (running through August 28), Gonzales took the time to fill out our survey of serious, fun, and sometimes ridiculous questions.

Moment you decided to pursue a career in theater: When I saw Jerry Haynes onstage. [Haynes was a Dallas actor who starred for 30 years as the host of one of the longest-running local children's shows on television, Mr. Peppermint.]